Thursday, 25 April 2013

The game against Manchester United gets every closer but the build up from Arsenal's side is very understated. None of the articles on the official website are talking about Sunday - only which kits the team's will be wearing.

It's left a huge void and I guess we're waiting for Arsene Wenger to fill it when he speaks at his next press conference. The general feeling is that a guard of honour will happen - a sideshow for me - but no one quite knows if it will take place.

The Arsenal Independent Supporters Association - along with Red Action - believe the gesture should take place. And I think it will.

"I think we have to give the guard of honour, as I don't want us to look as though we are being petty by not giving the guard of honour.

"For it not to happen and for supporters not to acknowledge the Manchester United team as they come out would actually boost Robin van Persie's ego.

"I would rather us just acknowledge them and then get on with the game - otherwise the focus will be on Robin van Persie, rather than the Arsenal team, which is what we are supposed to be going there to support."

For me, the guard of honour has nothing to do with the greedy badger. It is more about the respect offered to the team which has won the league. And however painful it is to see that man wearing their shirt, it is not as painful as knowing we are 21 points worse than them. They are an average team. But with him in that side - as we knew when we sold him to them - they've brought the title by paying us £24m.

Any football supporter knows that the greedy badger will get a rough reception on Sunday. It happens at every club when a player leaves under a cloud. And we know that the badger has shown his complete contempt for us when he left for them. We supported him through his bad periods - and lets not forget how long he spent out on the treatment table when he was at our club - only to leave after giving us one good season. He was looking out for himself and that's what stinks.

There is nothing we can do to turn back the clock. He's made his bed and he'll have to sup it up on Sunday. There's no doubting he'll get a hot reception and rightly so.

But what is more important than the greedy badger and guard of honour sideshow is that we take three points from the game of football which is due to take place. It's easy to get wrapped up in what's not important. What we need to focus on is ensuring we give our team 100 per cent vocal backing and cheer them on to victory.

Elsewhere, wasn't it nice to watch a team play as a unit last night. I thought Borussia Dortmund were outstanding. The match wasn't as one sided as the Bayern v Barca game on Tuesday. But it showed what a group of players can achieve when they work as hard as Klopp's team did.

Meanwhile back in Arsenal land, the Daily Mirror say we're taking a look at Germany goalkeeper Rene Adler. They believe we can snap him up for as little as £5m and that's not a bad price for the 28-year-old.

The Daily Mirror also report we're on the verge of signing 16-year-old defender Julio Pleguezuelo Selva from the Barcelona academy. If it happens he'll be the fifth player we've brought in for little or no money from the Catalan academy in the Wenger era.